Elder Scrolls Online Team Hit by Xbox Layoffs, Roadmap Changes Coming

ZeniMax Online Studios has been hit by the latest round of Xbox layoffs, and The Elder Scrolls Online team is among those affected. The full scope of the cuts hasn’t been officially confirmed, though multiple developers and staffers have said publicly that their roles were eliminated.

Xbox’s wider restructuring is expected to affect around 3,200 jobs over the fiscal year, with 1,600 cuts reported in this round. For ESO, the clearest immediate impact is that previously shared content roadmaps are being reworked, even as Season One is still planned to launch this week.

Senior content designer Katherine Souza later clarified a post that appears to have fueled speculation that “half the team” was gone. In her update, Souza said she was referring to “active developers working on content, events, and dungeons,” meaning people she knows and has worked with, not necessarily the entire ESO staff. There’s still no official number for how many ESO developers were laid off.

Some long-running ZOS employees are among those who said they were affected, including senior creator engagement manager Gina Bruno, who had been with the company for nearly 19 years. Other reported departures include veteran designers, engineers, artists, and QA staff with long tenures on the MMO.

In a note shared on the official ESO forums, the team said it remains committed to The Elder Scrolls Online, but that its roadmap will shift while the studio reassesses the work ahead. The team said it wants to lock down an updated schedule before giving players a clearer timeline.